ELI Environmental Law SIG Held an Eighth Seminar in its 2022 Seminar Series

31.05.2022

On 31 May 2022, the ELI Environmental Law SIG held an eighth online seminar entitled ‘The European take on the Right to Repair.’

The Right to Repair movement has gained a lot of attention both in the US and in the EU, especially in the light of the increasing efforts to lead consumers toward a green transition in search for a more circular economy. However, while the term ‘Right to Repair’ is commonly used to refer to the ability of users to fix their products, its legal implications can differ on both sides of the Atlantic.

Patrycja Gautier (the European Consumer Organisation, BEUC), Agustin Reyna (BEUC) and Evelyne Terryn (KU Leuven) discussed how the creation of a new, enforceable right for consumers to have their products repaired beyond the two-year cut-off period granted under the current EU consumer legislation can contribute to the green transition. The discussion examined whether existing private and public law instruments such as the Sales of Goods Directive and the Ecodesign Directive can become a vehicle for creating such a ‘new’ right for consumers in the EU.

The seminar was followed by a lively Q&A session.

More details are available here.